


Stumbling Blocks

by dasfreefree



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Comedy, F/M, Fluff, Humor, I just wanted an excuse for Tora to call Iwaizumi cool ngl, Mutual Pining, Oikawa and Kuroo are bad at disguises, Reader-Insert, Training Camp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-05-12 23:47:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14738079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dasfreefree/pseuds/dasfreefree
Summary: After a shoulder injury, you're forced to take a break from playing volleyball for the Nekoma girl's volleyball club. You decide to manage the boys' club during your recovery, which is a good move, as you get to meet Iwaizumi Hajime at a training camp and he's just your type.  While the feelings are mutual on Iwaizumi's end and his teammates have his back, Nekoma isn't entirely on board with guys from other schools hitting on their manager.Confessing seems to be a lot more difficult than either of you anticipate.





	Stumbling Blocks

**Author's Note:**

> This was a commission I wrote in January but forgot to post here until now. I loved writing this, not only because I love Iwaizumi, but also because interactions between Aoba Johsai and Nekoma are so much fun to write. Still waiting on their canon interaction, though.

“Iwaizumi-san, right? Sorry to bother you, but do you think you could reach that for me?”

Iwaizumi flinches at the sound of your voice. He was hoping he’d be able to get in and out of this store without you noticing him. It’s not that he doesn’t want to talk to you--it’s the opposite, actually. Why wouldn’t he want to talk to a pretty girl as seemingly nice as you? If you’re any bit as kind outside the training camp as you are there, he’d be honored that you want to talk to him.

It’s that he has no idea what to say. That and the Nekoma players are weird about guys from other teams chatting you up.

Still, he turns to you. You’re only another person after all. Just a person with a nice voice who’s even nicer to look at. That bashful, adorable way you glance at him too is hardly helping at all. He avoids looking at you directly--instead up at where you’re pointing to--but he’s sure he can see a faint blush on your face.

“I can’t lift my arm above my head yet,” you explain. “So I can’t reach those bandages. If I’m not bothering you--”

“It’s fine,” he says, too eager for his liking. Iwaizumi coughs to dispel some of his awkwardness. He reaches up and grabs the box of bandages for you. “If you don’t mind me asking, are you injured or something?”

It isn’t until he’s already asked that he realizes that he might be prying. You don’t seem fazed at all by this when he turns back to you. You even take the box from him with a smile. He might be a little disappointed that your fingers don’t accidentally graze his hand when do.

“Yeah, I hurt my shoulder playing volleyball,” you admit with a sheepish laugh. “Poor spiking form.”

Oikawa usually makes fun of him for being dense when it comes to girls, but he’s positive that this is fate. A beautiful, twenty-four karat golden opportunity is staring at him head-on; he’d be a fool not to grab at it.

“Maybe sometime--when your shoulder’s better, I mean--we can--”

“Hey! ____-san! I can’t find the antibiotic ointment you asked for!”

You glance around Iwaizumi to find Inouka waving you down at the end of the aisle. He calls again, “All I could find was this...um…”--He looks at the box and squints at the label--“hemorrhoid cream?”

You sigh very audibly, with a shoulder drop for emphasis. “Come on, Inouka-kun. You help me with first-aid all the time! You know which ointment we need.”

“But I can’t find it.”

“I’m sorry, I need to take care of this. Thanks for your help too.” You bow to Iwaizumi and take your leave. “See you later.”

_Damn it._

~*~

Iwaizumi’s spikes are impressive. They’d have to be considering he’s the ace of a well-regarded team. Still, there’s nothing quite like seeing them in-person, and you can’t help but feel blessed that you do.

Take today, for example: it’s the last match on the third day of this training camp. Seijou is at match point against Nekoma after a brief series of deuces. The point gap has been like this for most of the match, and you’re proud of how effective your team’s strategy is. But even with Kuroo and Lev blocking, Iwaizumi’s final spike smashes through and lands cleanly in-bounds. Your jaw hangs open even after the final whistle; it’s been sometime since you’ve seen anyone spike with such force. This is a real treat.

“If you’re trying to catch flies with your mouth, don’t look so stupidly happy about it,” Yaku comments. You close your mouth when you find him side-eyeing you.

“I just...um. As a fellow player, I can appreciate when a great spike gets past a high block is all,” you grumble. Not wanting to have to face more judgement, you jot down the results before excusing yourself to grab towels for the boys.

The coaches quickly debrief the set with the team before the next games start. You take this time to begin gathering Nekoma’s equipment to move to one of the other courts. Some teams are still finishing up their sets, so you’re in no particular rush. That and you need the boys to help with the heavy lifting.

You glance up for a second from packing their water bottles, to find Seijou’s breaking and getting ready for the next set. It’s almost magnetic how your eyes inevitably fall on their ace in all his glistening post-game glory. He hasn’t noticed you yet, but he’s nearby enough that you don’t feel uncomfortable calling out to him. You _have_ to compliment him on that last play at the very least.

“Iwaizumi-san,” you say with a small wave to gesture him over. His face lights up when he realizes that you’re beckoning him.

Behind him, Oikawa mumbles something along the lines of “I can’t believe I’m jealous of Iwa-chan right now.” If Iwaizumi hears it, he doesn’t acknowledge it, but having seen the two of them interact, you’re sure Oikawa will face repercussions for it later.

“That last spike was awesome. With those arms, I should have guessed what you’re capable of.”

Iwaizumi’s eyes widen, ears reddening before the rest of his face. He clears his throat awkwardly. “Ah, thanks.”

Just behind him, you catch a glimpse of Oikawa, whose face looks like it’s stuck between sheer delight and wanting to scream. He reaches his arms out and grasps the shoulders of one of his teammates. Even with his head down, you can hear him struggling to say between laughs, “Makki, save me. This is _gold_.”

It’s only then that you realize your choice of words was anything but choice. While you did say what you meant, you had hope to come across as playful. Now you wish you hadn’t been so forward about it. You panic--face hot--when you come to this conclusion.

“I mean, well, uh, you are the ace of a powerhouse school and you have to be in top shape, right? I’m gonna shut up and walk away now. Bye.”

That’s unfortunately the last of your exchanges with Iwaizumi at this camp aside from the normal polite pleasantries. Even a simple “Good morning” leads to an awkward silence between the two of you as you turn away from each other, red-faced and mind cluttered with things left unsaid.

~*~

Somehow, he lets his teammates talk him into taking a bold leap of faith by asking you out a few weeks later. It was bad enough Oikawa had to prod him into doing it, but the incessant teasing about his not so-subtle-crush on you naturally piqued the interest of his fellow third-years. Hanamaki and Matsukawa might have even started a bet, knowing them.

Kindaichi, however, thoroughly convinces him with a simple line of thinking. It’s unrelated to Iwaizumi’s dilemma at all, prompted instead by a compliment from Matsukawa during practice.

“It’s weird, but sometimes I forget how tall I actually am. Even if I’m late to jump for a block, there are times I still shut out the spiker.”

It’s true: he’s underestimating himself, despite the evidence that you like him back is staring him in the face. So when he finds you after lunch the first day of the next camp, Iwaizumi decides to seize that golden opportunity he left behind a few weeks ago.

“Hey, ____-san. Do you have a minute to talk?”

“Sure! What’s up?”

“I was wondering--”

A voice that’s distinctly not yours cuts him off: “About what, Iwaizumi-kun?”

You let out a groan and shut your eyes at the voice behind you. Hardly a moment passes before Kuroo’s hand claps onto your good shoulder. “Surely, whatever it is you need to ask ____-chan can be said in front of someone else.”

If Kuroo is trying to intimidate Iwaizumi by their difference in height alone, it doesn’t appear to bother Seijou’s ace. He only cocks an eyebrow and crosses his arms over his chest.

“Actually, I’d like to speak with her privately--”

“Now, now, Kuroo-kun, it’s hardly polite to interrupt a private conversation.” If Iwaizumi was mildly frustrated with your captain’s intervening, then Oikawa cutting in was cause for a rise in his temper. At least at this, Kuroo turns away from the two of you to face Oikawa.

“Now, now, Oikawa-kun, I could say the same to you.”

“You already interrupted them! It’s not private anymore!”

“Oh? So which one is it?”

While they continue, you turn to Iwaizumi and ask, “Should we do something?”

He sighs, “No, they always do this stupid back-and-forth. Just ignore them. But, there is something I want to ask you.”

Your face brightens in anticipation again.

“Hey! What sort of business do you have chatting up our manager?”

And that brightness immediately diminishes again at the sound of Yamamoto’s voice. You don’t even have to look over at him to know he’s making _that_ face: the one where he lifts his head up to look down at the person in front of him, with an unnatural slight underbite and lips curled into a snarl. It should be funny considering he’s technically shorter than Iwaizumi, but of all the times for this to happen, now is not the time.

“Yamamoto-kun, how many times have I asked you to not do this?” you ask, exasperated. He doesn’t let up on the weird look even as he answers.

“I’m just looking out for you. Some guys are weird around girls.”

“Yeah, and you’re the weirdest one! It might work when you’re looking out for your sister, but not me.”

“You’re awfully quiet about Yamamoto interrupting their conversation, Oikawa-kun,” Kuroo adds.

“That’s because I’m dealing with you right now. ____-chan seems to be handling it fine on her own. Iwa-chan is surprisingly qui--”

“Hey.” With this one simple word, Iwaizumi silences the four of you and commands your attention. He then looks to Kuroo and Yamamoto with an unwavering confidence. “I don’t know what your whole deal is, but I’m asking her out regardless of whatever you try to pull. Whether or not ____-san wants to go out with me, is entirely up to her and _only_ her.”

“You’re asking me out?”

Behind you, both Oikawa and Kuroo snort. Yamamoto remains silent in pure shock.

“I thought that was implied.”

“Well, I had hoped so but I also didn’t want to assume.”

“So does the free time after tomorrow’s matches work?”

While you nod and solidify your plans, you miss Yamamoto turning to Kuroo behind you and grumbling, “I guess that Iwaizumi guy _is_ pretty cool.”

~*~

“I can’t help but feel like we’re being watched.”

It’s later in the date when Iwaizumi says this. You’re waiting at a crosswalk, holding onto his arm so as not to get separated in a crowd. Except there aren’t many other people waiting to cross either, but you’ll milk the excuse for all its worth.

The tense awkwardness from earlier in the evening cleared up soon after you got to talking. Having played volleyball yourself, it was easy to find common ground with him. As the conversation opened up even more, it was apparent that this could really go somewhere good.

You glance towards the café across the street, and suddenly his worry makes sense. Sitting out on the veranda is an odd couple in poor disguises pretending that they weren’t just watching you. Oikawa isn’t slick wearing sunglasses at night and you know Kuroo’s hair when you see it.

“I have an idea, if you want to mess with them,” you whisper to him. Your heart beats with the birth of your plan. Iwaizumi cocks an eyebrow but smirks nonetheless.

“Yeah?”

“Let’s cross the street first, but go along with me when I start talking, okay?”

The light changes and you walk arm-in-arm, stopping just before the cafe but still in clear site of the two.

“Iwaizumi-kun? I know it’s early, but I just wanted to say that I had a really good time with you tonight.”

“Me too. Listen, I know the distance might make it tough but, if it’s not a problem for you, then maybe...you and I, you know--”

You cut him off promptly by pressing your lips to his. It’s a chaste kiss, more reactionary than anything. In all honesty, you forgot you were going to do this to get a rise out of your captains (who do react viscerally to this display) and ended up kissing him in your own excitement. Iwaizumi is still frozen and wide-eyed when you pull away.

“I absolutely want to go out with you again,” you answer. He unfreezes after a moment, and smiles.

“Perfect.”

You can’t contain your own grin, and take his arm again as you continue back to the camp. As you pass by Kuroo and Oikawa, you give them a wink, much to their dismay. A shoulder injury might have kept you from playing volleyball for a while, but it after this evening, you aren’t all to upset about that.

And knowing Iwaizumi, it would be hard to be upset about it for too long anyway.


End file.
